Periodontal Disease

Relationship with Other Diseases

Relationship Between Periodontal Disease and Systemic Disease

PERIODONTAL DISEASE INCREASES THE RISK FOR HEART ATTACK AND FATAL STROKE. Twenty percent (1/5) patients with severe periodontal disease are at risk to suffer a heart attack or fatal stroke. A 6000 person study has confirmed that periodontal disease is associated with early signs of heart disease. Patients with moderate or severe periodontal disease have a higher chance of thickened carotid artery walls than those with no disease. Certain bacteria live in the plaques that thicken the arterial walls. Patients with severe periodontal disease had oral bacteria in over 40% of arterial plaques.

PERIODONTAL DISEASE CAUSES PRE-TERM LOW BIRTH WEIGHT BABIES. In a 2004 study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Drs. Offenbacher and Beck found female pregnant patients with periodontal disease are 5 times more likely to give birth to a pre-term low birth weight baby. Other studies have confirmed that one out of five babies given birth to mothers with periodontal disease suffer from pre-term low birth weight.

PERIODONTAL DISEASE MAY INFLUENCE THE COURSE OF DIABETES MELLITUS. In the Compendium (2000) Dr. Louis Rose reported a review of research on the link between periodontal disease and diabetes. A clear relationship has long been established between diabetes and periodontal attachment loss. Attachment loss, and ultimately tooth loss, is more prevalent in diabetics with periodontal disease. Evidence now suggests that periodontal infections in individuals with diabetes have an adverse effect on glycemic control. In addition there is a significantly higher incidence of proteinuria and macrovascular complications in diabetics with severe periodontal disease. These macrovascular complications include stroke, transient ischemic attack, angina, MI, and heart failure).

RETAINED THIRD MOLARS ENHANCE CHANCE OF PERIODONTAL DISEASE. In a study by Elter, et al., the Third National Health and Nutrition Survey determined that the presence of visible third molars resulted in a 1.3 times greater chance in having gingival bleeding and two times greater the chance for periodontal probing depths greater than 5 mm on the adjacent second molar. There is also an increased risk of periodontal defects in the anterior region with retained third molars. The mandible is more prevalent than the maxilla. In all of these instances smoking was found to double the patient’s risk of periodontal infections.

OSTEOPOROSIS MAY INCREASE RISK OF PERIODONTAL LOSS. A study reported in the Alpha Omega Journal in 2003 found there might be a link between bone density reduction and tooth loss from periodontal disease. There appears to be link between bone mineral density and clinical attachment loss in postmenopausal white and Asian populations. This information coupled with previous studies connecting the number of teeth in the jaw and bone density seems to associate these two factors.

CHRONIC INFLAMMATION LINKED TO SEVERE PERIODONTAL DISEASE. In 2004 researchers at the University of North Carolina found that levels of C-Reactive Protein (CRP) are higher in people with severe periodontal disease. CRP is produced in the body when inflammation is present and is a good predictor of impending heart attacks. Periodontal diseases are chronic and low grade in a majority of cases, which leaves the heart vulnerable.

BACTERIAL PLAQUE CAN INCREASE RISK OF PNEUMONIA. Dental plaque pathogens linked with pneumonia in the elderly: A 2004 study from the State University of New York at Buffalo has found that good oral health may help protect the elderly from contracting pneumonia. They have shown that dental plaque is a reservoir of respiratory pathogens that can cause pneumonia of elderly institutionalized patients. Twenty-eight out of forty nine patients in this study were found to have respiratory pathogens in their dental plaque samples. This study is suggesting a link between the burden of dental disease and the incidence of respiratory events.

LINK ESTABLISHED BETWEEN PERIODONTAL DISEASES AND RESPIRATORY DISEASES. An increase in the bacterial burden may play a role in exacerbation or progression on COPD. An improvement in oral hygiene and treating periodontal disease could decrease oropharyngeal colonization by pathogenic bacteria. This reduction could reduce death from serious respiratory infections. (Dentistry Today, August 2003).

ALCOHOL ABUSE RESULTS IN A HIGHER INCIDENCE OF PERIODONTAL DISEASE & POTENTIALLY PRECANCEROUS LESIONS. One third of the patients in this study were at risk for a precancerous lesion or periodontal disease, which the researchers attribute to alcohol consumption. 82% of the patients had a severe gingival inflammation. This study was co-authored by Dr. Sebastian Ciancio of the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine.

LINK BETWEEN OBESITY AND PERIODONTAL DISEASE FOUND. The prevalence of periodontal disease among young adults (aged 18-34) was 76% higher than that among normal weight young adults. There was also an association found between underweight young adults and a decreased prevalence of periodontal disease. Reasons given for the association between obesity and periodontal disease included: less than the recommended dietary allowance for calcium and vitamin C, and chronic stress. These factors proved more prevalent in this particular age group. (Case Western Reserve, 2003 as reported in the Journal of the American Dental Association).